Sam began his career in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation as a Correctional Officer at San Quentin State Prison, working for nearly ten years on the Condemned Inmate Unit, where he rose to become Facility Captain. He then served for over 15 years as Public Information Officer, where he spearheaded the opening and development of the San Quentin Media Center, which houses the production teams for the San Quentin Newspaper, San Quentin TV, ForwardThis, the Uncuffed radio/podcast show and the multiple award-winning Ear Hustle podcast. Content produced in the Media Center has been streamed, viewed or downloaded over 80 million times.